THE HERTA

In this lesson we will look at applying the
popular Herta drum rudiment around the kit as a drum fill. In it's
original context, the Herta is 2 x 32nd note triplets, followed by 2
x 8th note triplets, with an accent either on the first note, or the
first 2 notes. Always use the single stroke sticking..

The first thing to do is get used to putting
that counting around the kit in its triplet context. Play one unit
on each drum moving clockwise. It's good to play a bar of time, then
the fill, then back to time again etc, so pick a triplet oriented
time feel like rock shuffle, half time shuffle or jazz swing, and do
that.

Here's an example with a rock shuffle..

Where the Herta gets really interesting is when
you start to use it within different subdivisions as a cross phrase.
One of the most common is using it with a dotted 8th reference. Even
though the Herta begins with 2 x 32nd note triplets, the entire
phrase still falls within an even 3 counting. We can use this even 3
counting within regular 16th notes. Obviously 16th notes are 4 even
counts per beat, so if we play a phrasing of 3 within 16ths, it's
not going to land on the same part of every beat.

This is how
the Herta now falls within 16th notes..

You can also play it stopping on beat 4, then
repeating..

It's always a good idea when phrasing around
the beat like this to keep the hihat chick going on the quarter note
pulse. This will help give the listener (the audience, the rest of
the band or even yourself) a reference for where the beat is. It
will also help you develop some useful independence..

Once you're comfortable with this phrasing you
will want to move it around the toms, like you did with the first
example that used triplets. That would look like this..